Jonathan Kanarek Interview

How To Buy A Vintage Suit (And Pull It Off)

If the East Coast is known for its inner-city hipsters spawned out of some gentrified neighborhood in Brooklyn, then the West Coast’s equivalent is the young Hollywood-hopefuls who gravitate toward clothing from days gone by.

One step into Lalaland and it becomes apparently obvious how prolific vintage clothing has become — on and off screen. Leading the pack is the hit series Mad Men, now in its third season, which depicts a man’s world circa 1960, glorifying smoking, on-the-job drinking, smoking, adultery, and did we mention smoking? The visual style is undeniable, and it seems only fitting that the wardrobe takes center stage.

AskMen.com caught up with Jonathan Kanarek, owner of Everything’s Jake in Los Angeles, the man behind Mad Men’s wardrobe, to discuss the show’s arresting style and to give us a primer on vintage clothing for us regular off-screen guys.

About Everything’s Jake

Give us some background on Everything’s Jake. Who is your customer? Everything’s Jake: I coin it as an East Coast haberdashery meets West Coast rock 'n' roll. It has got a very intimate feel. It’s set up with a dynamic where a gentleman would navigate his room: you pick your suit, move over to the bureau and there are some cuff links, a watch, a tie, etc.

My client base is as diverse as it is prolific. I’ve been blessed to have a battery of A-list clients from all walks, whether it be from movies and television to the rock 'n' rollers.

Who are some of those A-listers? I’m very fortunate to have Angelina Jolie call me on my personal cell phone. She has been in a few times… you know, what do you get Brad Pitt — seriously?

What did she get him?! When he was doing Benjamin Button he needed to immerse himself in a ‘50s vibe — in a blue-collar father thing. So she got him some apparel that pulled him into that mindset. And then I said, you know, what better way of starting your day in that mindset than with a classic shaving kit — like an old-school double-edge razor — and she was like: "Oh, my god, that’s fantastic!"

There have also been guys like Kiefer Sutherland, Danny Masterson, Adrian Grenier of Entourage — I got to know him through a spot that was filmed at my establishment for his planet green show called Alter Eco. Then there was Mike Ness and Jonny "2 Bags" from Social Distortion, Chet Lyster from the The Lucinda Williams Band, and more.

As much as I really enjoy those types, my joy comes from the lay person — the guy off the street — who is looking to change something about his outward appearance. Whether it be because of the downward economic times, a divorce, whatever the reason. He comes to the realization that “whatever has been working for me in the past (or what I thought has been) isn’t cutting it.” He realizes that it’s time for a change, and those are the guys that I really hold near and dear to my heart.

Mad Men style

Tell us about your relationship with the hit series Mad Men. They had approached me. The first year they went straight to their wardrobe archives; quite frankly, the suits that were being used weren’t super special. Since those guys have such great classic looks and my emphasis is on classic apparel, they sought me out. Through a couple of interviews and an incredible opportunity to chime-in on the fashion of that day, I found myself working with them.

Describe the quintessential Mad Men look. A two-button ‘60s suit with a moderately wide lapel (probably 2.25 to 2.5 inches). This would be paired with a straight-collared shirt with a thinner tie (not rocker skinny, but certainly not the ones that the more conservative people would wear). The pants are flat-front, and most are cuffed. The shoe is typically an oxford lace-up — perhaps captoe. Since they were in business, we were not going to show slip-ons or penny loafers, or anything like that — those are much more casual shoes.

The Mad Men characters needed to present themselves as professional, so a classic black lace-up with a little bit of a pointier toe is a great way to go. A presidential cut on a pocket square (which is that straight across one) is shown, and the shirt is going to be white with a shorter collar.

Finally, the cuff links and the tie bars were the bling back then; those details are what can really pull their look together.

Think you know what one item will instantly give your wardrobe some Mad Men flair? That’s next…